Knowledge and attitudes concerning pharmacogenomics among healthcare professionals

Abstract

Pharmacogenomics has become an area of great potential in the medical community. Therefore, the assessment of the knowledge and attitudes among healthcare professionals is essential. The purpose of this systematic literature review is to explore the knowledge and attitudes of healthcare professionals regarding pharmacogenetic testing with a specific emphasis in oncology. A total of 12 articles were found and reviewed. A majority of the articles reported only on the attitudes of healthcare professionals. Four of the articles reported on both knowledge and attitudes of healthcare professionals concerning pharmacogenetic testing, and one article reported only on the knowledge level of healthcare professionals. This systematic literature review revealed that healthcare professionals generally perceive themselves to have limited knowledge regarding pharmacogenetic testing. In addition, these articles highlighted the overwhelming ethical concerns surrounding pharmacogenomics. However, these articles also revealed that healthcare professionals believed that there were also many advantages regarding the utilization of pharmacogenomics.